Nominated

If you look on my sidebar thingy, you'll see that I'm honored to say that this blog has been nominated multiple times in the Homeschool Blog Awards. Each time, it's been a shock-- and a delight-- to see that someone, somewhere, thought enough of what they read here to go to a website and put in a nomination.


This year is no different. But somehow, this year is even better.


For the first time, BOOKS and BAIRNS has been nominated in the Special Needs Homeschooling Blog category. And I am speechless.


See, I never wanted to be a special needs homeschooler. Unlike some people who know deep down that they are called to love and parent a child who faces challenges, I blundered into this whole SN parenting gig. And truth be known, it wasn't even a blunder that brought me to SN homeschooling. It was more like a slow, dawning awareness that what was going on down at the preschool while I was diligently tending the educational fire at home was in no way serving my precious son. Even then, I struggled to come to terms with that most basic of facts: God chose me to be Oli's Momma. And part of being a momma, in this family at least, is teaching.


I'm not a perfect teacher. Not for my neurotypical children, and not for the little one who has patiently sat by as I've learned what "special needs" really means. Some days I'm completely unable to hit on the right presentation for a new skill. Other days, I'm dead-on in the creative department, and feel a surge of confidence as I see the lights go on in a child's eyes. Then, of course, are all the in-between days, when I simply plod through and pray that this little bit I'm offering can fall into God's hands and be used for so much more in the lives of my children.


I'm honored to find the name of this blog among the others nominated in the special needs category. Such distinguished company makes a person blush. But the real gift of this nomination has been the realization that God has, yet again, opened a door for ministry through the circumstances of our family, our lives, and our homeschool. 


Oli didn't ask to have FAS. He didn't choose to have to fight to learn his name, how to swallow his food, or how to tell the difference between hot and cold. Truth be told, he didn't choose to be in our family, either. Oli didn't have any control over any of this ... but God did. Seeing how God has used, is using, and will continue to use this one special, precious, beloved little man for HIS glory, well ... that's an honor. There's no badge for that, no award. But for me, at least, there's the gift of Oli. And really, that's enough.